The History of MGA Research Corporation

MGA Research Corporation has a history in which all Associates take pride. Although the official
founding occurred during the infamous "Blizzard of '77" in Western New York, the roots of MGA really
date back to the careers of the MGA founders.

The photos above were taken during the infamous Blizzard of '77 that buried
Western New York in mountains of snow in January of that year.

The story behind MGA begins in the 1960's and early 1970's. At this time, the three founders, Patrick
Miller, Jim Greene, and Rudy Arendt (the "M", "G", and "A"), all worked at Cornell Aeronautical
Laboratory (which later became Calspan Corporation). During the fifties and sixties, Cornell Aeronautical
Laboratory was one of the leading independent organizations in the emerging field of highway safety. Work
on projects such as the Cornell/Liberty Mutual Safety Vehicle, which is on display at the Henry Ford Museum
in Dearborn, Michigan was representative of the research taking place at Cornell during this period.

Pat Miller and Rudy Arendt

The areas of interest to each of these individuals set the stage for their roles at MGA. Pat Miller
received his Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics from Michigan State University. At Calspan, he was the Assistant
Department Head for Transportation Safety Research. One of his more important projects was the Research
Safety Vehicle (or RSV). The development of this vehicle was sponsored by the Department of Transportation,
and was a joint activity between Calspan and Chrysler Corporation. The vehicle was designed with many of the
safety features commonly seen in today's vehicles, including crush zones, advanced braking systems, automatic
restraints and airbags.

Rudy Arendt obtained his degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Rudy's
main area of expertise dealt with instrumentation and test systems. One of his major achievements was the
installation and commissioning of a full-scale crash test facility. This facility is still in operation at
Calspan.

Jim Greene completed an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at
Buffalo and was involved in various crashworthiness research studies being conducted at Calspan.

These three individuals were the founders and first Associates of MGA. The company began with an initial
investment of $1,000 and operated out of 900 square feet of leased office space located near the Buffalo
International Airport. As the company grew, more Associates were hired. In 1979, one of the founders, Jim
Greene, left to pursue other interests. At that time, Pat and Rudy purchased Jim's financial interest in
the company.

Starting with the first few years, a pattern of business expansion and re-investment in the company was
established. One of the first investments made by the company was the purchase of a Tektronix computer in
1977. This computer was used to perform automotive crash simulation. The purchase of this computer is
considered significant in that it established the principle of purchasing equipment to provide highly
competitive services. This principle is evident throughout the organization today as shown by the vast
array of test systems and other facilities owned by the company.

In 1980, a significant decision was made to move the company from leased office space to a location
which had both office and laboratory areas. The new facility was part of a larger building that consisted
of a total of 5,000 square feet. At this time, a move was made into the testing services area. Among the
first services provided were vibration and shock testing. One of the first customers was the United States
Department of Transportation - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (DOT-NHTSA) who wanted to
conduct auto safety structural testing to determine compliance to the requirements of the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 207 and 210. The machine used to conduct the FMVSS 207/210 testing was
designed and fabricated in-house and the project with the NHTSA started a relationship which is very
strong today.

The last half of the eighties was a period of rapid change. There was a movement by the company towards
the expansion of facilities and the development of an international customer base. Although Pat and Rudy
did not have a carefully orchestrated business plan, they did adhere to the fundamental principles which
were established early on in the company.

Rudy Arendt meeting with automotivemanufacturers in China. (2003)

During the mid-eighties, the development of an international customer base began with testing for
various Korean auto manufacturers. These Korean manufacturers were in need of test and analysis services,
equipment, and training. Both Pat and Rudy traveled to Korea several times and started to build
relationships with numerous Korean engineers. In addition, the company began installing safety test
systems in Korea. Today, a strong MGA presence exists in the Korean automobile test market and several
of the relationships that were developed during the eighties are still very strong today.

MGA-NY Associates

In 1984, the current corporate headquarters in Akron, New York, was purchased. Soon thereafter, the
Fabrication Center was opened approximately one mile from headquarters. The company was unique because
it was small business, yet it was cultivating a strong reputation in the auto safety industry. In
addition to the work done with the Korean market, a stronger relationship with other foreign and domestic
manufacturers was developing. This was done primarily through work conducted at a test laboratory located
at the company's headquarters. The capabilities of this laboratory included environmental and structural
testing. The facility included roof crush, side door crush, seat and seat belt anchorage test systems, as
well as a full vehicle static crush test machine. All of the structural test equipment was developed by
the company and the purpose of the laboratory was two-fold; to provide testing services to the industry,
and to serve as an evaluator for new equipment designs. The use of testing laboratories as an "internal
proving grounds" for new equipment designs is another fundamental principle of the company that has been
practiced for many years.

One of the more important projects conducted during the mid-eighties was for the Motor Vehicle
Manufacturer's Association (MVMA), which later became the American Automobile Manufacturer's
Association (AAMA). The project was directed towards the development of test procedures related
to what is now FMVSS 214D – Side Impact Protection. The test plan included a series of FMVSS 214
crash tests, but at this time the company did not have either crash or sled testing facilities.
As a result these tests were done on a sub-contractor basis at another facility. Based upon this
and other potential projects, a decision was made to provide both crash and sled testing services
to the industry.

MGA-WI Proving Grounds

In 1987, Chrysler Corporation bought the automaker American Motors Company (AMC). Soon after,
Chrysler closed the former AMC Proving Grounds and put the facility up for sale. The Proving Grounds
were situated on 400 acres and included an entire test track and an indoor crash test facility. After
months of negotiation, MGA purchased the facility from Chrysler in October 1988. The first goal after
purchasing the Proving Grounds was to bring the crash facility back on-line. Associates from New York
spent the first few months in Wisconsin working on the new facility. By the end of 1988, limited crash
tests were being conducted and an accelerator sled was added. Presently, the entire staff of the Proving
Grounds are from Wisconsin. In fact, all MGA facilities are fully operated by local people. This has
resulted in each of the facilities having a culture which is partially influenced by local traditions
with strong ties to surrounding communities.

MGA-WI Associates

As the eighties came to a close, the company was establishing a strong reputation in the transportation
safety field. With the addition of the Proving Grounds and the development of the Fabrication Center,
MGA was a very different company than what was started ten years earlier. The momentum gained in the
late eighties in the area of safety testing services and equipment continued into the next decade. At
this point MGA was expanding into non-safety related automotive testing such as durability and other
quality related issues.

MGA-MI Associates

A stronger presence was developed in the Detroit area through the opening of a test laboratory in
Madison Heights, Michigan in August 1992. The initial services offered included safety related
structural testing such as full vehicle crush testing and seat belt anchorage testing. The
organization in Michigan grew from just sales and marketing group made up of a few Associates
to a staff of 70 Associates working in a 170,000 sq. foot laboratory. Today, a full range of
component-level testing services including static, dynamic, durability, vibration, and accelerator
sled testing is offered at our test laboratory located in Troy, Michigan.

The nineties also marked the start of more traditional vehicle development work at the Proving
Grounds. Test services such as mileage accumulation, durability testing, brake testing, and vehicle
dynamics evaluation rounded out the MGA offerings. One of the first major projects dealt with the
development of drive line and chassis systems for a sport utility vehicle. This project consisted of
various full-scale durability tests, ride and handling analysis, and other quality related tests.
Meanwhile, the crash and sled testing services provided out of the Proving Grounds continued to
expand. During this time, a wide range of crash test procedures were developed and equipment was
installed to conduct sled testing on aircraft seats. This resulted in an entirely new customer
base comprised of aircraft manufacturers and suppliers.

The Fabrication Center was also diversifying into different types of equipment. One of the new
equipment items was a crash simulation accelerator sled, which was first installed at the test
laboratories in Michigan. The Fabrication Center also took the lead in developing novel test
equipment for recent safety standards such as FMVSS 201U – Occupant Protection in Interior Impact
and FMVSS 225 – Child Restraint Anchorage Systems. Systems that meet the requirements of these
tests have been sold to customers throughout the world.

The 2000's continued a pattern of growth in our history. Expansion at each of the locations
have resulted in the commissioning of a state-of-the-art test laboratory in NY that serves the
needs of the battery industry, the diversification of testing technologies to include advanced
air bag evaluation, material testing, military/aerospace testing that simulates blast and crash
conditions, and real time simulation durability testing. Internationally, major facilities are
currently being commissioned in China, Korea, and other parts of the world. In 2008, a new
testing facility was opened in Greer, South Carolina. This facility offers many industries a
wide range of testing services that MGA is well known for.

Dedication of the John J. FleckCrash Test Center onJune 16, 2001.

Over the course of MGA's history, there have been many highly dedicated Associates who have
formed the backbone of our company. Two of these Associates, John Fleck and Rudy Arendt, have
passed away. John Fleck was the first person hired at the Proving Grounds in 1989. His
contributions to the development of this facility were crucial to it's success. John died
in 2000, yet his contributions to the company are still evident. Today, crash tests are run
on a daily basis at the John J. Fleck Crash Center, which was dedicated shortly after his
passing.

Rudy Arendt

Rudy's contributions to the company are unprecedented. His knowledge and ingenuity
are legendary to both MGA Associates and customers. In the early years of the company, Rudy
focused on bringing the first test systems to life in NY. Some of the machines are still in
service today. During the eighties, Rudy spent a large amount of time in Korea assisting the
fledging automotive industry with safety test expertise. During the nineties, Rudy was
instrumental in the start-up and development of both the Proving Grounds and the Michigan
laboratory. In the present decade, Rudy was the driving force in the commissioning of MGA's
first major crash test facility in China. Rudy passed away in 2006, and all MGA Associates
honor his contributions by working according to the principles and example he set for the
company.

Today, MGA is recognized worldwide as one of the leading independent providers of testing
services and equipment. With U.S. locations in New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and South
Carolina, and International locations in Korea, India, Brazil, and China, MGA Research has
truly become a global corporation. Our traditions of improving and expanding our line of
products and services will carry on into the future as we continually offer our customers the
very best in testing technologies and customer service. All of the Associates at MGA are
eager to build on the past history and are excited about meeting the challenges of the future.